No. 11 Tritons Drop Close Game at No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, 16-13

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —The No. 11-ranked University of California San Diego men’s water polo team dropped a close game at No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, 16-13, on Thursday afternoon at UCSB’s Campus Pool.

UC San Diego (6-2) was led by sophomore Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt’s five goals and three assists, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Sam Thompson matched a career-high with 13 saves in the net. The loss snaps the Tritons' five-game winning streak, four of which came against ranked opponents.

Turnbow-Lindenstadt, the reigning Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Week, has already scored five goals in three separate games this season.

The Tritons came out strong and took a 4-3 lead after the first quarter on scores by Langiewicz, Carniglia, Turnbow-Lindenstadt and junior Skyler Munatones.

Trailing at halftime, 8-5, UC San Diego pulled within one after two quick goals from Turnbow-Lindenstadt to open the third period. Carniglia’s second goal of the afternoon made it a one-point game again, 9-8, with 3:45 left in the third.

Asplund scored twice in a span of 43 seconds to erase a three-point deficit early in the fourth period and cut the UCSB (8-1) lead to 12-11, but it was the closest the Tritons would get the rest of the way.

UC San Diego returns to action next week, with home contests at Canyonview Aquatic Center against Long Beach State on Wednesday, Sept. 19, before opening WWPA play against Fresno Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 22.

About UC San Diego Athletics With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in the summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's pre-eminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 78 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

Follow The Tritons For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDTritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@UCSDTritons), Instagram (@UCSDTritons) and Facebook (UCSDTritons). For more information on UC San Diego Men's Water Polo, follow on Twitter (@UCSDTritonsMWP) and Instagram (@USCDTritonsMWP).